Taxonomic notes

The taxaceous conifers are generally regarded as being distinct from the other conifers; many authors have assigned them to a distinct Order, Taxales Knobl. 1890, and they have also been placed in a distinct Suborder, Taxineae Luerss. 1879, or have even been segregated at the Subclass rank as Taxidae Ehrend. ex Reveal 1996. Some authors have assigned Amentotaxus to a separate family (Amentotaxaceae Kud et Yamam. 1931), likewise Austrotaxus (Austrotaxaceae Nakai 1938), Cephalotaxus (Cephalotaxaceae Neger 1907), and Torreya (Torreyaceae Nakai 1938). Relationships within the family were elucidated by Hao et al. (2008), who used both chloroplast and nuclear DNA markers to analyze all generally recognized species in the Taxaceae inclusive of Cephalotaxus. Their analysis showed that the clade of Cephalotaxus with other Taxaceae genera is monophyletic. They also showed that the ancestral distribution of the family is centered in southwest or southeast China.